The Golden Williams Duo uses music as a mirror to reflect on and dialogue with the world around us, by creating and performing thought-provoking music relevant to our own time. The Golden Williams Duo, comprised of violist Gregory K. Williams and cellist Diana Golden, have teamed up with composers Stephanie Leotsakos, Nick Revel, Sunny Knable, Chandler Carter, William Susman, Dennis Bathory-Kitsz, and Teaching Artist Jerri A. Castillo to explore the topic of extreme weather especially in Queens and its impact on residents in various neighborhoods. Six new works have been commissioned and written for the Golden Williams Duo based on a separate weather event, such as shoreline damage in the Rockaways (Queens, NY) from Hurricane Sandy, flash flooding in New England (Northfield Falls, Vermont), and storm water and wind during Hurricane Katrina (New Orleans, Louisiana).
At this Creators’ Panel, we will be showcasing a behind-the-scenes look at how composers designed their music, and how each of their approaches are different. Audiences will have a chance to hear samples of each of the compositions performed by the Golden Williams Duo. The Creators’ Panel is intended for the general public and anyone interested in an artist’s working process and the collaborative give-and-take involved in creating a new piece of multimedia art. The event would be especially relevant for composers, performers, educators, artists, and environmentalists. We will also review some future community rebuilding and sustainability plans to counteract these extreme weather events, such as examples of housing buyout programs, shoreline restoration projects, and other public policy initiatives.
Admission to the Creators’ Panel is $25, and a recording of the Creators’ Panel will be available for those who cannot attend in person for $11. Tickets will be sold at the door, as well as on Events.com. Multimodal coffee will be made available for purchase to attendees during the event.
For audiences interested in hearing our full programming, The Creators’ Panel will be followed by a full performance of all works, taking place at Maple Grove Cemetery’s Brownson Center on Sunday, June 28th, 2026 at 4pm.
This project is made possible in part with public funds from the Queens Arts Fund, a re-grant program supported by New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by New York Foundation for the Arts.